First Coir Grow, need some help on the Variables, Thanks.

Hey all thanks for looking at my post i hope that you can shed some light on the best methods for growing in Coco.

I have done alot of research and so far it seems that the best method is to use a mix of 80% Coco Coir with 20% perlite. Along with an inch of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot to help with root-rot, and a thin layer of sand at the top of the grow medium to help prevent gnats. Is this information correct? i am an experienced grower but know very little about coir and would really appreciate your help.

Also am i correct in thinking that i will need to keep the PH at 5.8 or below to lockout the uptake of additional Potassium into the plants? i will be using Coco specific nutrients throughout the grow at half strength as they will be grown in pots.

Finally a question about the grow schedule, i would typically give a week for germination and propagation, followed by a 4-6 weeks of vegetative growth, then a 8-10 week Flowering period and to finish 5 days with Flush Nutrients followed by 5 days of plain water. Is this the correct for coir? the strain that i will be using is AK47 UK Feminised.

I would really appreciate any guidance from anyone who is experienced in this type of grow medium, i have a general idea but a new grow medium worries me as all my experience is lost, thankyou for your help.

i grow in pure cocco, i dont worry about the perlite ect. i just make sure the pots i use have loads of drainage holes.
Sure you can go to the extra mile and add all that other shit, but i reckon it would be hard to repot with out mixing everything together.
Ph of 5.8 sounds about right! give or take a .1

K.I.S.S is a great method to follow.

Thanks for the help Karo. With pure coco is it not hard work watering all those plants every day? i was under the impression that the perlite was used to enable less frequent watering. Also how often do you change the pots during your grow cycle? and how many times would u recommend if the end plant will be 1.8 meters tall?

Hey sorry just saw you posted!
I am under a 600 watt, in 2m by 1.6 area and i only water every 2nd day, not sure how big my pots are though! i think perlite is also for aeration also?
temps probally affect the amout of watering they need too.. i have 24 degrees during 'night' and 28 degrees at 'day'
I water when the pots feel light, or cocco starts to look dry on top. i water about 2-3 ltrs!
well im about 2 weeks in flower and my plants are about 1.6m tall, i have my light very close to the tops of my plant so hopefully i can limit vertical growth.(new strains)

Im pretty weird on repotting, i do it a lot. clone in bubbler, repot about 3 times after that.Ill repot when i see roots coming out of the bottom!

what light are you going to be using?

Ive grown in coco for years and I always mix it with lots of perlite. I guess I like to aggressively feed my plants. Its a forgiving medium like rockwool, but Ive had harvests that were so flavorful that people thought it was grown in soil. What kind of nutrients are you planning on using?